Electrical pilot-car for locomotives



(No Model.)

S H KNAPP 81; A E ADAMS ELECTRICAL PILOT CAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES. I No.280,046. Patented June 26, 1883 gjylgmwon aim @7 ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES 6. 1/

20 a pilot-car on the said track.

50 the coil.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFTCE.

SMITH H. KNAPP AND ALPHEUS n. AnAMs, or DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRICAL PILOT-CAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

SPE IFICATION forming part of Letters Patent m. 280,046, dated June 26,1883.

Application filed February 5, 1883. (No model.)

5 have invented a new and Improved Pilot-Car for Locomotives, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved pilot-carwhich runs some distance in advance of the locomotive and signals allobstructions on the track, and thus.

prevents collisions, derailments, and other like accidents.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying I drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in

which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in allthe figures.

Figure l is a plan view of a section of the railway-track and alocomotive provided with Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pilot-car. Fig. 3is a front view of the alarm apparatus on the locomotive.

A small car, A, contains an electromotor,

which acts on one of the axles, and a storage- 2 5 battery or othersuitable battery for producing the required electricity for operatingthe car. The car is to be made as small and as light as possible. On thefront end of the car a cross-piece, B, is held, which is provided on itsrear side with two rods, 0, which extend 3 5 suitable springs can beused.

An arm, E, provided at its inner end with a hook, F, projects from therear surface of the cross-piece B through the front of the car, and whenthe springs D press the cross-piece B from the front end of the car thehook F will.

be in contact with the contact-piece G, held on the front of the car.The arm E is connected by means of a wire, H, with one pole of anelectric alarm apparatus, J, in the caboose of 4 5 the locomotive O, andthe contact-piece G is connected by means of a wire, I, with the otherpole of the apparatus. The alarm apparatus is provided witha gong, K, acoil, L, and one or more cells, M M, suitably connected with In the caseshown, the wire H is connected directly with the coil'L, and the wire Iis eon nected with one of the cells M; but the electrical connection canbe modified more or less as circumstances may require. The car A runs onthe track about one-eighth of a mile in ad- Vance of the locomotive, andthe wires H I extend from the car to the locomotive. wires will be aptto sag to the ground and form electrical connection with the ground, wearrange glass ties P, suitable distances apart, un der or between therails, so that if the wires sag they will rest on the glass ties andcannot come in contact with the ground.

The battery in the car A must be of such power that it can operate themechanism on the car A so rapidly that the said car will always be inadvance of the locomotive a suitable distance. Devices can also beprovided for winding the wires H I 011 drums on the 1o comotive, andthus drawing the car A close to the front of the locomotive. This wouldbe necessary before arriving at crossings or while switching.

A gong, Q, is provided on the car, which gong can be operated bysuitable mechanisms connected with the electric motor or the bat tery inthe car. This gong serves as a signal, and always signals the approachof the car A. in advance of the locomotive. At night suitable lanternsare to be placed on the car A, so that the same can be seen whenapproaching, and, if desired, flags or other signals may be placed onthe car in the day-time, so as to si nal the approach of the same.

The operation is as follows; The springs I) press the cross-piece B fromthe front of the ear, and press the hook-F against the contactpieee G,whereby the circuit will be closed and will pass through theelectro-magnet L, which. attracts its armature, to which thehammer ofthe gong Kis attached. If an obstruction, B-for instance, a stone, atie, another car, a body, or any other objectis on the tracks, thecross-piece B of the car A will strike against it and will press againstthe end of the car, whereby contact between the hook F and thecontact-piece G will be broken, the circuit will be broken, and the gongK will be sounded, thus calling the attention of the engineer to thefact that there is an object on the track. The engineer can then stopthe train As the.

and avoid an accident. After the obstruction on the track has beenremoved, the train proceeds as before.

Our pilot-car will be an especial advantage in tunnels, at night, duringfoggy weather, snow-storms, 850., and will also be of great serviceduring clear weather to prevent running in open switches, as thepilot-car will certainly run into the open switch first, will strikeagainst the cars on the same, and will thus signal to the engineer onthe locomotive, who can stop the train in time to avoid accidentthereto.

XVe are aware that it is not new to use a truck or car with a train ofcars, the same traveling in advance of the train, and provided with aself-acting electromagnetic engine adapted to signal the engineer, sothat he may stop the train before reaching the point of dangcr; but

\Vhat we claim as new and of our invention 1. The combination, with apilot-car, of a front cross-pieee, B, having rods 0 0, sun rounded byspiral springs D, working in holes of the car-frame front, and providedwith a hook-arm, F E, connected with one pole of an electric alarm, anda contact-piece, G, connected with the other pole, as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination, with a locomotive, of a pilot-car running in advanceof the same, an electric alarm on the locomotive, wires for connectingthe pilot-car with the locomotive, and glass ties placed under orbetween the ails for preventing the wires connecting the pilot-car withthe locomotive from coming in contact with the ground, substantially ashere in shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

SMITH H. KNAPP. ALPHEUS ELI ADAMS,

Witnesses:

JOHN TWEEDY, DAVID B. BooTH.

